Shortlist for UK Town of Culture revealed
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Shortlisted towns set to receive £60,000 to work on their full bids
with the winner announced early next year Shortlist selected
from almost 400 applications Fifteen towns have been shortlisted to
become the UK's first Town of Culture, after nearly 400 places from
across the country entered the landmark competition. This comes as
the government confirmed that it has received an incredible 398
bids from over 400 hopeful towns as part of the
competition,...Request free trial
Fifteen towns have been shortlisted to become the UK's first Town of Culture, after nearly 400 places from across the country entered the landmark competition. This comes as the government confirmed that it has received an incredible 398 bids from over 400 hopeful towns as part of the competition, demonstrating that culture belongs everywhere and shining a light on the many towns across the UK that are vital to our national story. Fifteen towns will now compete for the inaugural UK Town of Culture 2028 title. The shortlisted towns are:
Shortlisted towns will now receive £60,000 each to develop their full bids, which will be assessed by the independent judging panel. One finalist will then be selected from each category with the overall winner being announced early next year. The UK Town of Culture competition is part of the government's ambition to restore pride in local areas in every part of Britain and deliver a decade of national renewal, following the announcement of the Pride in Place Programme last year. Throughout this year, this competition - together with the UK City of Culture 2029 competition - will continue to shine a light on local visions and voices from across the UK to help encourage increased local investment, create a lasting sense of pride, and open doors to the arts and culture for everyone. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said: I want to say a massive congratulations to the fifteen shortlisted towns and I wish them luck in the next round of the competition. The fact that we received so many applications just goes to show how proud people are of their towns. When I launched this competition, I wanted to shine a light on our amazing towns all across the UK and the huge contribution they make to our national life. I am so glad that so many towns have applied and I hope each and every town, whether they have been shortlisted or not, is incredibly proud of the work they have done to champion their local community. Secretary of State for Wales Jo Stevens said Congratulations to Port Talbot and Pontypridd on being shortlisted for the UK's Town of Culture. Both places have a rich heritage that should be celebrated - and I am so pleased to see them get the recognition they deserve. Port Talbot is renowned for producing some of the greatest actors in the country, all of whom have been inspired by the industrial heritage of the area. Pontypridd is the home of the composers of the Welsh National Anthem, which has been proudly sung at national events for many decades. I would love to see a Welsh town be crowned the UK's Town of Culture and I wish both of them every success with their bids. Kirsty McNeill, UK Government Minister for Scotland said: Scotland has an extraordinary cultural heritage, and the presence of three Scottish towns on the UK Town of Culture competition shortlist is a testament to the richness and diversity of communities across the country. From island life to historic port towns, each of these places has a unique story to tell, and I know that each bid reflects the genuine passion and pride that local people have for where they live. The UK Government is committed to ensuring that culture belongs everywhere, and I'm delighted that Scottish towns are so strongly represented. Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Hilary Benn said: Congratulations to Strabane, which has secured a place in the final UK Town of Culture shortlist, from among 400 applicants. I know that Strabane will take this opportunity to shine, and I wish the town good luck as they finalise their bid. The shortlisted towns were recommended by the independent panel chaired by Sir Phil Redmond. The other members of the panel were selected to ensure a broad range of cultural experience and regional diversity. The panel members are:
Chair of the independent panel, Sir Phil Redmond said: The response to the competition has been, to say the least, overwhelming, quite literally from all four corners of the UK. It has been fantastic that nearly 400 towns have come forward, sharing their sense of pride, ambition and desire to demonstrate how much they have, and continue to contribute to our national story. That of course has made making the decision on the shortlist itself much more difficult, never mind the actual winners. I look forward to visiting those towns that have made the list and I am sure that, just like City of Culture, those that didn't manage it will have found the experience of taking part worthwhile in strengthening partnerships, raising awareness and reminding us all of the depth and spread of the UK's cultural landscape. I'd like to thank them all for that. The shortlisted places will now work to finalise their bids, which will explain how they would use culture to celebrate their town, showcase original storytelling, empower their local communities and provide more accessible culture in their local area. From these fifteen shortlisted towns, the independent panel will recommend the best small, medium and large town from the full applications they receive. An overall winner from these three towns will be designated the UK Town of Culture 2028 and receive a £3 million grant from the government. The additional two towns, from the other two categories, will be selected as finalists and receive £250,000 each to carry out part of their programme. The winner will go on to host a season of culture in 2028, which will help them to deliver a long-lasting legacy of cultural participation and local pride as has been seen in previous winners of the UK City of Culture competition; Derry-Londonderry 2013, Hull 2017, Coventry 2021 and Bradford 2025. The government's ambition behind the UK Town of Culture competition is for towns to reap similar benefits from the experience of bidding and encouraging local residents to get involved in cultural events to celebrate their town. The benefits of cultural investment are clear. Previous UK City of Culture holders - Derry-Londonderry, Hull and Coventry - have attracted more than £1 billion in additional investment and welcomed an estimated 2 million visitors, while recent audience research from Bradford 2025 shows more than 80 per cent of attendees felt events increased their pride in the place they live. Investment in UK City of Culture and UK Town of Culture not only supports the delivery of exciting cultural programmes but brings a legacy of cultural regeneration. These programmes will help to attract more visitors to places for years to come as well as encouraging creativity and skills development across local areas, growing the local economy and providing more opportunities for local people to engage with arts and culture. In order to recognise all the towns that have bid in the first-ever UK Town of Culture competition, every bidding town was invited to submit a postcard to celebrate their bid. Last week these postcards were shared across social media and showcased by National Museums Liverpool ina digital display to celebrate each and every town that has participated in the competition. The postcards will remain within the National Museums Liverpool's national collection. Further guidance for shortlisted towns to prepare their full bids for the final stage of the competition will be made available shortly. Notes to editors: Full list of bids (*marks shortlisted bids): Small East Midlands Ashby de la Zouch Bolsover Clay Cross Darley Dale Horncastle and Spilsby Kimberley Louth Matlock Melbourne Oakham Oundle Rothwell Sleaford Southwell Uppingham Wirksworth East of England Ampthill Aylsham Fakenham Newmarket North Walsham Rochford Saffron Walden Sheringham and Cromer St Ives Tring Ware Wells-next-the-sea North East Alnwick Amble Barnard Castle Bedlington Berwick-upon-Tweed Hexham Peterlee Shildon Stockton Town Centre Ward* North West Appleby Barnoldswick Cleveley Colne Garstang Kirkby Lonsdale Knutsford Lymm Lytham Maryport Mossley New Brighton Penrith Prescot Ulverston Northern Ireland Enniskillen Larne Limavady Strabane* Scotland Crieff and Strathearn Dalkeith Dunbar Galashiels Haddington Isle of Bute* Keith Kirkcudbright Lerwick* North Berwick Penicuik Pitlochry Selkirk Stornoway, Isle of Lewis Stranraer Whithorn Trust Wigtown South East Beaconsfield Burford Carterton Cranbrook Dorking East Cowes Emsworth Fordingbridge Haslemere Henley on Thames Kidlington Lewes Lymington and Pennington Midhurst and Easebourne Newhaven Newport Pagnell Petworth Rye Sandown* Shanklin Stony Stratford Swanley Tenterden Thame Ventnor Wallingford Watlington West Malling Westerham South West Amesbury Ashburton and Buckfastleigh Bideford Bodmin Bradford on Avon Bruton Corsham Dartmouth Devizes Emersons Green Filton Fowey Glastonbury Great Torrington Hatherleigh Helston Highworth Ilfracombe* Marazion Nailsea and Wraxall Nailsworth Newent Ottery St Mary Penzance Portland Redruth Shaftesbury Shepton Mallet Sherborne Sidmouth Stroud Swanage and Isle of Purbeck Tavistock Teignmouth Tetbury Tewkesbury Thornbury Torpoint and The Rame Peninsula Warminster Watchet Wells Westbury Wimborne Wales Abergavenny Abertillery Bangor Blaenavon Brecon Caerleon Caernarfon Cardigan Crickhowell Ffestiniog Hay-on-Wye Holyhead Holywell Llandrindod Wells Llangollen Machynlleth Mold Monmouth Mumbles Narberth Oswestry Pembroke Presteigne and Norton Tref-y-Clawdd/Knighton West Midlands Atherstone Bishop's Castle Bridgnorth Broseley Coleshill Henley-in-Arden Ledbury Leek Leominster Ludlow Market Drayton Ross-on-Wye Yorkshire and the Humber Bawtry Conisbrough Driffield Guiseley Heckmondwike Helmsley Ilkley Kirkham Knaresborough Malton and Norton Mexborough Mirfield Otley Pickering Pocklington Richmond, North Yorkshire Ripon Selby Settle Wetherby Whitby Yeadon MediumEast Midlands Alfreton, Heanor and Ripley Beeston Belper Boston Buxton Coalville Corby* Grantham Hinckley Kettering Loughborough Market Harborough Melton Mowbray Newark Retford Skegness Spalding Stamford Sutton in Ashfield Swadlincote Wellingborough West Bridgford East of England Bishop's Stortford Bury St Edmunds Felixstowe Great Yarmouth* Hertford Hitchin Huntingdon Leigh-on-Sea Letchworth Garden City Lowestoft Maldon St Neots Stowmarket Sudbury Thetford Waveney Valley Witham North East Ashington Bishop Auckland Blyth Cramlington Jarrow North Shields Redcar Seaham Stanley North West Accrington Barrow-in-Furness Bootle Chorley Congleton Crewe Fleetwood Kendal Leigh Leyland Macclesfield Morecambe Northwich Rawtenstall St Anne's on Sea Stretford Widnes Workington Northern Ireland Antrim Scotland Ayr Cumbernauld Dumfries Greenock Kilmarnock Kirkcaldy Leith* Livingston Paisley and Renfrew South East Abingdon-on-Thames Aylesbury Banbury Bexhill Bognor Regis Chesham Dartford Deal Dover East Grinstead Eastleigh Elstree and Borehamwood Fareham Farnham Faversham Folkestone Godalming Guildford Hoddesdon Littlehampton Margate Newbury Newport, Isle of Wight Royal Tunbridge Wells Ryde Seaford Totton and Eling Winchester Woodley South West Barnstaple Bridgwater Cirencester Clevedon Exmouth Falmouth and Penryn Frome Malmesbury Newquay Salisbury Taunton Weymouth Yeovil Wales Aberystwyth Barry Caerphilly Cwmbrân Merthyr Tydfil Pontypridd* Port Talbot* West Midlands Burntwood Royal Leamington Spa Longton Droitwich Spa Warwick Halesowen Evesham Bilston Brierley Hill Stratford-upon-Avon Dudley Smethwick Malvern Stourbridge Stafford Yorkshire and the Humber Batley Beverley Scarborough Castleford Holmfirth Keighley Bridlington LargeEast Midlands Chesterfield Mansfield Northampton East of England Basildon* Bedford Harlow Stevenage Welwyn North East Gateshead Hartlepool North West Birkenhead* Blackburn Burnley Bury Rochdale St Helens Stockport South East Andover Basingstoke and Deane Chatham Crawley Eastbourne Hastings Hemel Hempstead High Wycombe Northfleet and Gravesend Sittingbourne and Sheppey Slough Thurrock Riverside South West Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Kingswood Weston-super-Mare West Midlands Burton upon Trent Newcastle under Lyme Nuneaton Redditch Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield Rugby Shrewsbury Tamworth Telford Yorkshire and the Humber Barnsley Grimsby* Halifax Harrogate Huddersfield Rotherham* Scunthorpe
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